Boy (album)

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Boy
Boy cover
Studio album by U2
Released October 20, 1980 (1980-10-20)
Recorded Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, March–September 1980
Genre Post-punk, Rock, Alternative rock
Length 42:13
Label Island
Producer Steve Lillywhite
Professional reviews
U2 chronology
Three
(1979)		 Boy
(1980)		 October
(1981)
Alternate cover
North American release
Singles from Boy
  1. "A Day Without Me"
    Released: August 1980
  2. "I Will Follow"
    Released: October 1980

Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews.[1] Common themes among the album's songs are the dreams and frustrations of adolescence.[2] The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit single, "I Will Follow". Boy's release was followed by U2's first tour of continental Europe and the United States.[3] Despite being unpolished, these early live performances demonstrated U2's potential.[4]

Contents

[edit] History

The album was preceded by the single "I Will Follow". The single was a hit on college radio and established a buzz surrounding the group's debut. The song was widely perceived as a religious song, affirming the band's Christian faith, though this has never been confirmed or denied. The song, along with the album, also focuses on Bono's childhood and the loss of his mother at the age of 14.

Originally, Joy Division producer Martin Hannett (who also produced U2's 11 O'Clock Tick Tock single) was supposed to produce U2's debut album, but was too distraught after the suicide of Ian Curtis. Boy was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin with Steve Lillywhite producing. Some of the songs, including "An Cat Dubh" and "The Ocean", were written and recorded in the studio. Many of the songs were taken from the band's 40-song repertoire at the time, including "Stories for Boys", "Out of Control", and "Twilight".[5] The Edge recorded all the songs using his natural stained Gibson Explorer.[6]

The album has overtones of sexuality, leading to its enthusiastic acceptance in American gay clubs shortly after its release. Bono commented on this phenomenon, saying "First of all we started out and made Boy, which is a sexual LP, and we changed the cover in America to stop any concern there might be about paedophilia and the like, because it was our first album. But import copies got in and, as you know, in America a lot of music is broken in gay clubs and so we had a gay audience, a lot of people who were convinced the music was specifically for them. So there was a misconception if you like."[7]

The final track on the album, "Shadows and Tall Trees", gives a nod to William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies; it shares its name with a chapter from the book.

Boy's highest position on the Billboard 200 was #63, but after the success of U2's later material, it re-entered the American charts for a lengthier spell. In the United Kingdom it reached #52. "I Will Follow" peaked at #20 on the Mainstream Rock charts.

Despite criticisms of their live shows as predictable and Bono using "too much echo" [8], these early live shows nevertheless helped demonstrate U2's potential, as critics noted that Bono was a very "charismatic" and "passionate" showman, reminiscent of a young Rod Stewart [9]. Boy is the only U2 album from which every song (as well as every B-side) has been performed live at least once.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 417 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

[edit] 2008 Remastered edition

Following the remastered re-release of The Joshua Tree in 2007, it was rumoured that the band would also remaster and re-release Boy, along with the albums October, and War.[10] This was confirmed by U2.com on April 9, 2008.[11] The remastered album is scheduled for release on July 21, and will be released in three different formats. [11] As with The Joshua Tree, the cover artwork will be standardized to the original UK release.

1. Standard format: A single CD with re-mastered audio and restored packaging. Includes a 16 page booklet featuring previously unseen photos, full lyrics and new liner notes by Paul Morley. The 11-tracks match the previous release of the album.

2. Deluxe format: A standard CD (as above) and a bonus CD including b-sides, live tracks and rarities. Also includes a 32 page booklet with previously unseen photos, full lyrics, new liner notes by Paul Morley, and explanatory notes on the bonus material by The Edge.

Tracklisting of bonus CD:

  1. "I Will Follow" (Previously Unreleased Mix)
  2. "11 O'Clock Tick Tock"
  3. "Touch"
  4. "Speed of Life" (Previously Unreleased Track)
  5. "Saturday Night" (Previously Unreleased Track)
  6. "Things to Make and Do"
  7. "Out of Control" (from the Three (EP))
  8. "Boy/Girl" (from the Three (EP))
  9. "Stories for Boys" (from the Three (EP))
  10. "Another Day"
  11. "Twilight"
  12. "Boy/Girl" (Live at the Marquee, London)
  13. "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" (Live at the Marquee, London - Previously Unreleased Version)
  14. "Cartoon World" (Live at the National Stadium, Dublin - Previously Unreleased Track)

3. Vinyl format: A single album re-mastered version on 180gram vinyl with restored packaging.

[edit] Album cover

The boy on the cover is Peter Rowan (brother of Bono's friend, Guggi, and now a well-renowned Irish photographer). He also appears on the covers of Three, War, The Best of 1980–1990, and Early Demos. The photographer, Hugo McGuiness, and the sleeve designer, Steve Averill (a friend of bassist Adam Clayton), went on to work on several more U2 album covers.

The image was changed to a distorted picture of the band for the American release, due to fears that the band would be accused of pedophilia. [12] Sandy Porter is credited as the photographer for the American cover.

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by U2, lyrics by Bono.

  1. "I Will Follow" – 3:36
  2. "Twilight" – 4:22
  3. "An Cat Dubh" – 6:21
  4. "Into the Heart" – 1:53
  5. "Out of Control" – 4:13
  6. "Stories for Boys" – 3:02
  7. "The Ocean" – 1:34
  8. "A Day Without Me" – 3:14
  9. "Another Time, Another Place" – 4:34
  10. "The Electric Co." – 4:48
  11. "Shadows and Tall Trees" – 4:36

"A Day Without Me" and "I Will Follow" were released as singles. The album was preceded by Three, a three-song EP with different recordings of "Out of Control" and "Stories for Boys" as well as a song called "Boy/Girl".

Early vinyl copies of the album have a short, thirty-second instrumental version of what would become "Fire" (on 1981's October album) at the very end of the album, after "Shadows and Tall Trees."

Some pressing of the album the track length of "An Cat Dubh" and "Into the Heart" at 4:47 and 3:28, respectively. This was common in releases in the United Kingdom and Japan. Early compact disc releases (identified by being West German-pressed and in a digipak) combined the two songs into a single track at 8:14.

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Chart positions and sales

[edit] Album

Country Peak position Certification Sales
Canada Platinum [13] 100,000+
United Kingdom 52 Gold [14] 100,000+
United States 63 Platinum [15] 1,000,000+

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1981 "I Will Follow" Billboard Mainstream Rock 20
1984 "I Will Follow" The Billboard Hot 100 81

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Boy Review. Hot Press (October 1980). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.; Boy New Music Express review. New Music Express (1980-10-25). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.; Boy Billboard review. Billboard (1980-09-30). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.; Boy The Washington Post review. The Washington Post (1980-09-30). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
  2. ^ Henke, James (1981-02-19). U2: Here Comes the "Next Big Thing". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
  3. ^ de la Parra (2003), pages 16,17
  4. ^ Voice of Influential U2 Frontman. BBC (2006-12-23). Retrieved on 2007-09-06.
  5. ^ Kings of the Celtic Fringe. NME magazine (February 14, 1981). Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
  6. ^ On the Edge of Success. U2 Magazine no.3 (May 1, 1982). Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  7. ^ Bono Speaks. U2 Magazine No. 10 (February 1, 1984). Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  8. ^ Boy tour review - Boston.com
  9. ^ Boy tour review - Boston.com
  10. ^ Futterman, Erica. "News Ticker: Ozzfest, Pete Townshend, U2, Dr. Dre", Rolling Stone, 2008-02-11. Retrieved on 2008-03-12. (English) 
  11. ^ a b Boy, October, War: Remastered. U2.com (April 9, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  12. ^ U2: U2faqs.com - History FAQ - Three to Under a Blood Red Sky
  13. ^ CRIA
  14. ^ BPI
  15. ^ RIAA
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Bono • The Edge • Adam Clayton • Larry Mullen, Jr.
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